President Donald Trump dusted off his signature line Saturday, claiming Arnold Schwarzenegger was fired from "The Celebrity Apprentice." The president's allegation came after the actor blamed him for the show’s poor ratings.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me," the president tweeted. "Sad end to great show."
Schwarzenegger quickly responded to the president's claims, tweeting "You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker."
The former California governor announced that he would be leaving "The Celebrity Apprentice" Friday. "With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don't want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show," he told Empire magazine.
In a statement announcing his departure, Schwarzenegger thanked the show's cast and crew but said he was leaving because of the show's "baggage."
Trump became a household name by hosting 14 seasons of "The Apprentice." He stepped down in 2015 to commit to his presidential campaign.
NBC Universal, which produces Celebrity Apprentice, cut ties with Trump in June, 2015 — days after he made critical comments about Mexican immigrants and NBC canceled its airing of the Miss USA pageant. NBC Universal is the parent company of NBC News.
